Brake flushing

[aldive]

I finally tracked down a brake problem to contaminated brake fluid. The solution is to perform a complete flush.

Starting at the passenger side rear, then driver rear, followed by passenger front and finally the driver;s front, the brakes were bleed/flushed until new clear fluid came out.

My son and I did this job in about 30 minutes ( counting jacking and wheel removal ).

I was truly amazed at the way the flushed brakes felt.

 

[rizzjc]

Just did the same to mine at 130k miles. Think it was a little dirty? ;-) Seems a lot better, but haven't driven it too far yet. I did the same pattern that you did, and it seemed to work well. I don't think I'll wait for 130k miles on my other cars! We did it on the ground, without taking the wheels off.

 

[MONMIX]

yeah I did that task three months ago.

Very noticable results.

 

[JDraper]

Brakes should be flushed every 2-3 years because of the hygroscopic nature of the fluid, and more often if you're in a constantly humid environment. It's a lot more important to do it with the abs equipped cars than with the older cars due to the way the systems look at fluid pressure. Most places like Midas or Monroe will do a full power flush for under $30. Good preventative maintenance.

 

[sparky2263]

If you want to upgrade when doing a brake flush, use DOT4 fluid. Much higher temp fluid and less hygroscopic than standard DOT3.

 

[JDraper]

On my '66 Mustang, we swapped over to the Valvoline SynPower Synthetic brake fluid which is supposed to exceed both Dot-3 and Dot-4 fluids. It has a boiling point of 502° and is compatible with all conventional fluids. As I bleed my other vehicles, I will be switching over to that in all of them.

 

[MONMIX]

, we swapped over to the Valvoline SynPower Synthetic brake fluid which .

yeah that is the stuff I use too.
Brake and power steering fluid.

 

[aldive]

On my '66 Mustang, we swapped over to the Valvoline SynPower Synthetic brake fluid which is supposed to exceed both Dot-3 and Dot-4 fluids. It has a boiling point of 502° and is compatible with all conventional fluids. As I bleed my other vehicles, I will be switching over to that in all of them.

I too use synthetic brake fluid ( imagine that ! ). I use the same Valvoline SynPower fluid. Gooooooood stuff,

 

[MONMIX]

great minds think alike

 

[james t]

Bleeding the brakes always helps. Many people think the fluid travels throughout the braking system so it stays mixed up- thats not how it really works. Chances are the fluid in your calipers is mostly the same fluid thats been in there since the system was filled. Over time heat breaks down the fluid in the calipers. Even a quick bleed will flush the system with new fluid. Thats one of the first things i do (along with fluid changes) whenever i get a new (to me) vehicle.

If its a tow rig, consider bleeding them once a year.

 

[hostile413]

this needs to be done on my explorer as well. do you drain the resivoir, then bleed each wheel till clear fluid comes out?...how much fluid did you go through?

 

[aldive]

this needs to be done on my explorer as well. do you drain the resivoir, then bleed each wheel till clear fluid comes out?...how much fluid did you go through?

The process goes faster if you suction out ( turkey baster ) as much of the fluid as possible from the master cylender and add new clean fluid.

I am sure it was overkill but I used about 16 oz of the new brake fluid.

 

[james t]

No, dont drain the master cylinder as that will get alot of air in the system and the M/C itself will have to be bench-bled. All you do is bleed them like normal, making sure the reservoir never gets low. Also, make sure the top on the reservoir is secured or else you will get hella mess when you pump the brake pedal.

 

[hostile413]

lol, im glad im not the only one who uses a turkey baster on cars..thanks for the reply...might tackle this project tommorrow

 

[aldive]

No, dont drain the master cylinder as that will get alot of air in the system and the M/C itself will have to be bench-bled. All you do is bleed them like normal, making sure the reservoir never gets low. Also, make sure the top on the reservoir is secured or else you will get hella mess when you pump the brake pedal.

I always remove as much old brake fluid from the MC as possible and refill with new before brake bleeding.flushing.

I leave the cap off the MC when flushing my Explorer; no spill whatsoever.

 

[james t]

I always remove as much old brake fluid from the MC as possible and refill with new before brake bleeding.flushing.

"Removing" fluid from the M/C and "draining" it are 2 different things. Sucking fluid out with a turkey baster and refilling is fine. Cracking a line open and letting all the fluid run out isnt.

 

[sparky2263]

The process goes faster if you suction out ( turkey baster ) as much of the fluid as possible from the master cylender and add new clean fluid.

I am sure it was overkill but I used about 16 oz of the new brake fluid.

Ditto. 16 ozs. would be the least amount I would use. I do a drain on the M/C, then flush. Drive it down the dirt road, activate the ABS a few times and then flush again.

Overkill? Nah. ABS crap is expensive.